The series Criminal Minds was canceled after 15 seasons because the numbers were not working out but, thanks to the opportunities offered by streaming, it returned after being absent from televisions for only 21 months. After airing a 16th season that was shorter and with a more serialized plot, information is now beginning to leak about the next one, in production. And, for now, a veteran will be out.
Actor Josh Stewart will not appear in the ten new episodes scheduled for the coming months. A follower asked her if they could see him in season 17 and her response was clear: “Sadly, no, my days playing Will LaMontagne Jr are over.” In turn, he wanted to be grateful for the fans' appreciation since he entered the Criminal Minds universe in 2007: "You guys have been the best."
Stewart made an appearance for the first time in the second season and, from that moment on, he became practically a constant in the criminal world with a total of 27 episodes. Except for her tenth season, she always participated in at least one episode of each season, including the special episode with which she said goodbye in the seventh, when she married special agent JJ Jareau (A.J. Cook).
For viewers, however, this absence will be striking especially after his importance in the previous season, when he became a regular character, appearing in nine of the ten episodes. The reason? The character had cancer, a plot that was inspired by the real drama of actress A.J. Cook, whose husband had cancer in 2019. After this dramatic arc, however, they do not have Stewart, at least for the season that Erica Messer, the showrunner, has in hand.
Who will return, however, will be Zach Gilford, who has been seen with Joe Mantegna on the set, in a photograph shared by the official Criminal Minds account. Elias Jasper Voit, better known as the Hitman, was the murderer who had to be hunted down in season 16. He killed 62 people. But, after being captured, he received a visit in prison that seems to lead him to interact with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.
If Criminal Minds was canceled after fifteen seasons in 2020, it was due to its seniority: the cast, talent and technicians, due to the duration of their contracts, had increased the budget per episode and, by airing on free-to-air television with audiences declining, the CBS channel could not justify the investment, in part because it was co-produced by a production company like ABC Signature, from the rival studio Disney.
After the cancellation, however, both Paramount, owner of CBS, and Disney contacted each other to recover such a popular and long-established brand. Contracts were renegotiated with the associated talent and it was agreed to adapt it for streaming, where its appeal was unquestionable to attract and retain subscribers. They even changed the title: Criminal Minds: Evolution. Now in the United States it can be seen exclusively on Paramount while in Spain who has the rights is Disney.
